This invention relates generally to methods and systems for facilitating transactions at a self-checkout terminal and more particularly, to methods and systems for facilitating transaction at self-checkout terminals with a scale.
Self-checkout terminals at grocery stores and other retail stores are well known. The terminals permit a consumer to present items for purchase to sensors at the terminal so the terminal can identify the items and a corresponding price. When the consumer indicates all items for purchase have been presented to the terminal, a sub-total is accumulated, any taxes and discounts are computed, and a total amount due is displayed for the consumer. The terminal then allows the consumer to select a payment method. The terminal presents menu selections to the consumer so funds are transferred to the retailer""s account. Upon confirmation of payment, the items are released to the consumer.
A self-checkout terminal typically includes a display, a scanner for reading unit price codes (UPC), and a checkout area for holding items once they have been scanned. The checkout area may include a motor driven belt to carry items for which a purchase has been verified to a collection area. The terminal also includes a processor, memory, programmed instructions, and data peripherals to control the operations of the terminal. The programmed instructions may contain modules for querying for item prices, computing totals and performing other functions related to the purchase of items through a self-checkout terminal. Some checkout terminals may also include a security application program that operates to reduce the likelihood that the consumer leaves without scanning all of the items or exchanges scanned items with more expensive items that have not been scanned. In many self-checkout terminals, the surface area of the checkout area or belt has a scale underneath it to help track items during checkout. By monitoring the weight of items placed on the checkout area, the security application is able to determine some actions of the consumer for purposes of detecting fraud or operator error by a consumer. For example, the change in weight detected by the scales of the checkout area may be used to determine the weight of an item just placed on the checkout area. This item weight may then be compared to the weight of the item last scanned that is stored in a database or other memory. If the weights are different, the security application program notifies the consumer and prompts the consumer to remove the item and scan the item again to rectify the discrepancy. Thus, the application program is capable of tracking the scanning of items and their placement on the checkout area through its monitoring of the scales associated with the checkout area.
The database for items that may be sold in a store is typically organized by item identifiers such as a UPC. Data that may be stored in association with an item identifier includes its price and its weight although other data may also be stored with the identifier. The weight may be a value that is entered at the time that the item identifier is entered in the database. Alternatively, the weight may be a statistical average of weights that have been sensed for an item identifier scanned at a self-checkout station. Such a statistical average may be used to modify a weight stored in a database. Modification based on historical data may be used to adjust a database when a manufacturer alters packaging of an item for a promotional event. For example, a detergent manufacturer may increase the size of its packaging to provide an additional 8 ounces of detergent for the same price as its standard size. The promotional sized packages weigh more than the standard sized packages and the security application would at determine that the promotional packages did not conform to the weight data stored in the database for the item identifier until the data in the database was updated to reflect the promotional package parameters. To avoid the necessity of manually updating the database for such promotional items, the security application may require a consumer to rescan the item to confirm the measured weight for the item and then approve the item for purchase. In other known self-checkout stations, the terminal display may display an error message informing the consumer of the detected weight discrepancy so appropriate action may be taken such as rescanning and weighing the item or having a self-checkout attendant approve the sale. Once the weight is confirmed, the security application may then store a count of weights measured within some narrow range about the newly confirmed weight for the item identifier. When the counter reaches some threshold value, the security application may then update the stored weight for the item identifier with statistical average of the measured values such as the mean or median of the historical weights. In this manner, the weight for an item identifier is confirmed by multiple cycles of consumer rescanning and weighing of the item before permitting the weight stored in the database to be modified or added to the list of approved weights stored for an item identifier.
While this type of database updating reduces the likelihood of loses from fraudulent activity during self-checkout, it does have some drawbacks. For one, consumers are required to rescan items for weighing until the threshold count is reached and the new weight for the item identifier is verified by an adequate history of measured weights. Any time that consumers are required to rescan items there is delay and an opportunity for the introduction of additional errors in the checkout process. In some cases, the checkout process may be adversely impacted to the point that intervention by a cashier or other self-checkout station attendant may be required. Regardless of the manner in which the weight verification occurs, the procedures for such verification are time-consuming and degrade the efficiency of the self-checkout process.
What is needed is a system and method of updating the stored weight data for item identifiers that facilitates the historical analysis of the accurate weight for an item identifier.
What is needed is a system and method for collecting historical weight data for scanned items at a self-checkout station that reduces the necessity of rescanning items or attendant intervention to verify the weight of an item.
The above-noted limitations of previously known systems and methods for determining weights for items in the checkout area of a self-checkout terminal have been overcome by a system and method that operate in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The system of the present invention comprises an authorized personnel identifier for identifying authorized personnel scanning an item and a provisional weight multiplier operatively coupled to the authorized personnel identifier for multiplying a contribution of a sensed weight for the scanned item to a new weight computation for the scanned item. The system of the present invention preferably counts a measured weight for an item scanned by a store attendant as two or three measurements in computing the total required reaching the threshold for establishing a new data value. Thus, the system utilizes the more trustworthy data obtained by a store employee to confirm a new data value without significantly jeopardizing the integrity of the new data value computation.
In one embodiment of the present invention, authorized personnel of a store carry identification tokens that bear indicia that may be scanned by the scanner of a self-checkout station. When one of the authorized personnel are going to intervene in a transaction at a self-checkout station, he or she scans his or her identification token at the scanner. The identification code may then be used to retrieve data from the database that indicates an authorized person is now operating the self-checkout station. The weight that resulted in the notification of a weight discrepancy may then be evaluated. If the sensed weight corresponds to a provisional weight stored for the item identifier, a counter for the existing provisional weight may be incremented by a value greater than one. Alternatively, multiple copies of the measured weight may be stored in a histogram associated with the existing provisional weight. If the measured weight does not correspond to an existing provisional or approved weight then a provisional weight for the item identifier is generated. The initial value of the counter for the generated provisional weight may be initialized at a value greater than one or, alternatively, multiple copies of the measured weight may be stored in a histogram for the generated provisional weight. As subsequent items are scanned and the scale of the station verifies their weights, the provisional weight multiplier may store multiple copies of the measured weight data in the database or it may increase the count for a provisional weight by more than one. In one embodiment of the present invention, the provisional weight multiplier only uses the data of the next scanned item in such a preferential manner before returning to the consumer operated mode. In another embodiment, the provisional weight multiplier continues to give increased significance to the data of items scanned at the scanner until the employee scans his or her identification token a second time. The second scanning signifies that the authorized person is no longer operating the station. In this embodiment, enhanced significance is given to the scans of multiple items without requiring the authorized person to scan his or her identification before each item scan.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the authorized person may use a key to turn a switch to indicate an authorized person is operating the station and the data derived from subsequent scans is given enhanced significance. This mode of operation continues until the keyed switch is turned to the off position and the key removed. Another embodiment of the present invention enables authorized personnel to identify themselves through the keyboard of the terminal for the self-checkout station and enhanced significance of subsequent data continues until the authorized person logs off through the keyboard.
The system of the present invention may be implemented with a self-checkout terminal that includes a display, a bar code scanner, and a checkout scale, all of which are coupled to the processor for the terminal. The checkout scale may include a processor operated by programmed instructions with memory for collecting and analyzing weight data or it may provide the weight data to data peripheral interfaces for the terminal processor. The program memory of the terminal processor may include one or more program modules for storing a provisional weight and weight counter in a database in association with an item identifier. The program memory may also include a security application that uses the item weight data to track items in the checkout area. The display may be used to communicate with the consumer regarding movement of items in the checkout area.
The method of the present invention includes identifying store authorized personnel scanning an item and multiplying the contribution of a measured weight for the scanned item to a data value computation. Identification of store authorized personnel may occur through the scanning of an employee identification token, the turning of a key operated switch, or entry of an employee identification code through the keypad of the terminal of the self-checkout station. Additional employee identification schemes may include the verification of biometric data obtained from an employee such as a retinal pattern or fingerprint. The multiplication of the measured weight corresponding to a provisional weight value may be implemented by incrementing a provisional weight counter a number of times greater than the incrementing that takes place when a consumer scans and weighs an item. Alternatively, if the measured weights within a tolerance range about a provisional weight are stored in the database in association with the item identifier then multiple copies of the weight measured by an authorized person may be stored in the database. These multiple copies facilitate the accumulation of sufficient weight data for the computation of the provisional weight data that is used to update the weight data stored for an item identifier.
It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the accumulation of reliable data for the computation of weight data for updating a database for item identifiers.
It is an object of the present invention to more quickly collect the historical weight data required for computing an accurate weight for an item identifier.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention may be discerned from reviewing the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of the invention.